In 1979, my father received poor service at our local Pizza Hut on two visits in a row. As a result, he swore he would never return to that particular establishment again.

I went back there in 1988 when I had my driver’s license and a car. In fact, I went back quite often to enjoy some of the best pizza around at the time. Dad remained adamant that he was done with that place.

Finally, in 1994, he was forced to go back with a group of senior citizens for card club. To his amazement, it was great. The food was delicious, the service was outstanding, and the atmosphere was enjoyable.

You see, during his fifteen-year absence, there had been a couple of new owners, a building remodel, an addition to accommodate the thriving buffet service, along with dozens of managers and hundreds of employees. While the building stood at the same location and had the same name on the sign out front, it had become an altogether different place and much better at the same time.

I tell you this little story because I encounter the same mentality around the Church all the time. People will say to me they will never attend the Church I lead because of something that happened years ago. They inform me that they will not become members, get involved, serve in a ministry, and especially lead in any capacity because of something that they experienced a long time ago. That one experience has become their infinite excuse for every question involving the Church.

The truth is that the Church is continually changing. People come and go, leaders rise and fall, ministry methods change, and the congregation adapts to new tools.

I know that things go wrong in the Church community all the time. Things are said and done that hurt people and make things uncomfortable, but that cannot become your excuse to never take another step of faith.

Dad missed out on enjoying a great meal with family and friends because of an old experience. Don’t miss out on what God wants to do in you and through you because your excuse may no longer be valid.

What excites you? What are you passionate about?  

What do you talk about the most? 

What stories do you enthusiastically tell others?

What topic dominates your mind? 

What fills your free time?

If you are honest, the answers to the questions will quickly come. We have hobbies and habits that fill our time. We enjoy everything from exercising to watching TV to reading to woodworking. There are an infinite number of things that make us come alive.

Where does God come on the list? His word? His people? His work?

Passion grows when we feed it. The more time we invest in something, the more passionate we are about it.

If God is not on your list of priorities in your life, the issue is not that God has nothing exciting to offer. The problem is that we are not spending much time doing the things of God. There is only one way to change that, and it seems relatively obvious.  

My default setting is to discover what is wrong with the world. Whenever I preach, I look for ways to improve. Whenever I write, I continually edit and change. As I walk through my Church building, I look for ways to better use our facility.

The trouble is when we carry that way of thinking over into every area of life. Suddenly, all we see is what is wrong and how things could be improved. We can become jaded and cynical instead of the joy-filled person that God wants us to be.

I once heard a man say that he made a simple rule with his children. They had to say five positive things before they could say one negative. Before they could complain about a person at school, they had to list five positive characteristics. Before they could criticize a meal, they had to list five things they liked about it.

His goal was to get his children to move from thinking about what is wrong with the world to what is right. There are far more positive things going on around us than we notice. Maybe it is time for you to take a look.

I started a new practice in 2025. Whenever someone comes to mind, and I begin thinking about them, I simply stop and pray for them.

Sometimes, I contact them and let them know; other times, I don’t. That decision is based on whether God keeps bringing them to my mind or if it is a one-time thing.

This adjustment to my thinking was the result of a time when I was going through some darkness. Suddenly, my mood picked up, and I felt better. Later, I talked to a person in my congregation, and they told me, “I have been praying for you lately.” Immediately, it all made sense, and my life was impacted by someone praying totally unbeknownst to me.

Now, I am doing the same for others. I encourage every believer to try this practice. You never know the amount of good you will do for others simply by praying for them.

One piece of advice I heard over the last month was to give up making New Year’s Resolutions. This person suggested that you start making New Month’s Resolutions.

His logic ran along two lines. First, at the beginning of the year, we might make a list of five or six things we would like to change that year. Most often, we end up focusing our attention on one or two of those. Over the year, as we move further away from our initial decision, resolve fails. Even the most committed of people are only able to complete minimal change in twelve months.

Second, if we make one new resolution each month, then we will focus our energy on a single change for roughly 30 days. Since it takes only 28 days to create a new habit, this will give us enough time to make our one new decision become a reality. If you were able to do that for ten or eleven months a year, subtracting time for holidays and vacations, you would have made more significant changes by focusing on a month at a time rather than by the year.

Tomorrow starts a new month. What one thing could you do this month that would help you grow spiritually and become the person that God desires in your life? Fundamental transformation may only be a month away.

My eyes continue to deteriorate with every passing year. Recently, I had an eye exam and bought a new set of glasses to match my updated prescription. Things are clear again, but in the upcoming years, I will do this ad nauseam.

As my eyesight gets worse, I have also noticed that the print in my leather-bound Bible gets smaller. That is not an exaggeration. To include more notes while making printed Bibles easier to carry, they are making the print smaller and the pages thinner.

Then I discovered large print and even giant print Bibles. I was hesitant at first because I knew people would make fun of my age and failing capacities, but I finally bought one. It was a game-changer for me. I still love to hold a print Bible in my hand to read, and having one with a larger font size makes this possible. I now have four Bibles on my shelf in the largest print I could find. I only read two of them personally, but I keep extras on hand whenever I hear others complain about the same issue. Also, at the Church I lead, we have started purchasing only large print Bibles to give away to those who don’t have one.

Getting older comes with its share of issues, but that does not mean you have to give up reading the scriptures. I encourage everyone to swallow their pride, get a Bible with a larger print than they think they need, and start using it. Eyesight and age are no longer reasons to keep anyone from reading the word of God.

Today is day 19,181 of my life. Most of the sand in my hourglass has fallen to the bottom, and I have no idea how many more grains remain on top. I am hopeful for several because I love my family, but I am also praying for only a few left as I desperately want to see Jesus.

I approach each day with a desire to learn, grow, and do things as a follower of Jesus. Here are a few things I have learned in the past year.

-Happiness is a choice. Each day, I have to tell myself over and over to be happy for all the ways God has blessed my life. Happiness is found in gratitude.

-If you find a great deal on a clearance item, buy at least two. Keep one for yourself and give the rest to people you care about.

-Don’t hold onto objects because they have sentimental value alone. Find value in people and experiences, and let go of all the junk you are hoarding.

-Real, deep, meaningful friendships are of greater value than gold. If you have one, treat that person as your most prized possession.

-God is working; even in the details, there is absolutely no reason to worry.

-Be the person to others that you want them to be to you. No one may reciprocate, but God sees and knows what you are doing.

-Do something every day that you enjoy – simply because you enjoy it.

-It is hard to be positive as an overthinker because so many things can go wrong, but make an effort to be positive anyway.

Some people like to talk about their problems rather than work on them. It gives them a reason to be the topic of conversation and makes them feel connected.

-What you genuinely believe is seen in where you spend your time and money. It has very little to do with what you say.

-The forgiveness of God is the greatest asset to any life. I am thankful for it every day.

The phrase means to want something so passionately that you are willing to suffer to achieve your goals. It may mean that you literally bleed because of your effort, but it can also be used metaphorically to emphasize your commitment to making your dreams come true.

My question is, “What are you willing to bleed for?”

What do you want to see so badly in your life that you are willing to push yourself through discomfort to the point of pain to make it happen?

In the book of Hebrews, the writer says, “In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” (Hebrews 12:4 – NIV 2011) His point of comparison is Jesus on the cross. For the joy set before Jesus, he endured the cross (literally shedding his blood) to finish the work God set before him. We are to consider his commitment and imitate it in our lives. He then draws this idea in conclusion, “If you want to achieve all that God wants in your life, it will require you to bleed for it.” Then, “In your struggle as a Christian, you have not gone that far yet.”

The writer encourages his readers to want to become like Jesus so much that they are willing to bleed for it. That means we will endure hardships, opposition, and pain to become all that God desires for us.

As a follower of Jesus, we seldom have easy choices and a painless journey. Jesus’ example is that to complete God’s work in our lives, we have to be willing to bleed for it.

I maintain several journals in both paper and digital form. One is labeled “Blog Ideas,” and another is labeled “Sermon Series Ideas.” I also have a file called “Sermon Illustrations” and one named “Random Ideas.” I have a “Church Projects” notebook and a “Personal Projects” notebook.

Quite often, I will sit down and reread these journals and slowly process what I have written. In time, well more than half will be destroyed. Another quarter of the material will get rewritten to add new ideas and provide clarity. Less than twenty-five percent will be used each year in one way or another.

I go through this process because I have learned that very few of my ideas are fruitful without time to think about them. My initial thoughts are often profoundly flawed, and I know that acting quickly is usually a recipe for disaster. This is true for my personal life, marriage, and career.

Just because you have an idea does not mean you should act on it. Taking time to pray, asking wise people about it, getting some emotional separation, and thinking through all the options are vital to making good decisions.

I am not saying everything I do is a great choice, but I can say that I rarely run into the future without taking the time to process my ideas. I firmly believe that God can work in your life effectively with an instantaneous decision. But most often, his leading comes with taking the time to think things through.

We are on the verge of having our annual “Membership Meeting” at the Church I lead. I am going over the numbers I am going to share, and there are so many positive things to highlight. Attendance is up at youth group, VBS, and Sunday morning. Our giving is up, and we have been able to make improvements and hire staff. We have numerous people leading small groups and far more connecting in them. There were also 25 baptisms last year, which is a new record in my time as pastor here.

While I am excited about all the growth in every way, I know that I play only a tiny part in it. In reality, everyone made this happen. Everyone who serves. Everyone who gives their money. Everyone who brings a friend or family member. Everyone who leads. Everyone who shares a meal, teaches a child, mows the grass, counts the money, fixes the parking lot, works on the building, or does one of the hundred small things to bless this community of believers.

God has called us together as a group of Christians here in my town, and he is working in people’s lives. But I am so thankful for all the people who act as Jesus’ hands and feet. Everyone together made this happen for the greater glory of God.